


No Mistletoe This Christmas

by redhoodedwolf



Series: Christmas Time [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, CHRISTMAS FICS YAY, M/M, One everyday leading up to Christmas, not gonna tag everything that would take forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-03 04:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 17,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1065881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoodedwolf/pseuds/redhoodedwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyday until Christmas I will add a new mini fic! Merry Christmas!</p><p>Originally posted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hot Cocoa

**Author's Note:**

> All of these will first be posted on tumblr, and you can find them at redhoodedwolf.tumblr.com!

The muffled sounds of music greeted Derek as he pulled up to his home on Sunday evening. The bright Christmas lights on the porch twinkled, lighting up the dark street, almost as if mocking their neighbors who had yet to gather up the holiday spirit. 

As Derek pushed open the front door, the sounds of ‘ _Hot! Hot! Oh, we got it!_ ' filled his ears, and he grinned. He kicked off his shoes by the door and moved into the living room where the music was coming from.

The Polar Express was playing on the TV, the animations in full swing of a dance. Right smack dab in the middle of the living room was Stiles and their daughter, dancing along. 

Claudia was in her princess dress, of course. She got it for Halloween, and hasn’t taken it off since. Stiles twirled her around the room as Tom Hanks sang, “ _Here, we’ve only got one rule: Never ever let it cool!_ ”

A loud giggle arose from Claudia as Stiles picked her up from underneath her arms and spun her around. When Stiles turned, he spotted Derek, and his grin spread even wider. “ _Hot! Hot!_ " he mouthed along with the song, and Derek rolled his eyes.

Claudia spotted her papa right after Stiles did, and she squealed loudly, leaping for Derek’s legs. “Papa! Daddy was teaching me how to dance!”

"That’s great, sweetheart!" Derek responded, fixing the lopsided tiara on his daughter’s head. 

"An’ Daddy put on The Polar Express ‘cause he said it’s Christmas time!"

Derek smiled. “Just about, sweetheart.”

Stiles came up behind Claudia and pried her from Derek’s legs, tearing a shriek of delight from the little girl, and Stiles wrapped her in his arms and began bouncing around with her to the beat of the music. “ _Keep it cooking in the pot_ ,” he sang to her.

“ _Soon ya got hot choc-o-late!_ " She replied before bursting into a fit of giggles. 

Derek watched his husband and daughter with amusement before saying, “How about I go and make  _us_  some hot chocolate?”

"Yeah!" Claudia said, excitedly. "An’ don’t forget marshmallows!" 

"Wouldn’t dream of it," Derek responded, pressing a kiss to her forehead before pecking Stiles’ cheek and heading into the kitchen to serve the two loves of his life. 


	2. Caroling

Derek loved caroling.

When he was a kid, he and his family used to go around the whole town of Beacon Hills and sing to every house that would open the door to them. It was a week long affair that always got him pumped for the season of Christmas. 

Now that he was not at home until right before Christmas, he missed the family tradition.

However, that didn't stop him from joining the campus' Madrigal group that stood in the quad the last day before break and sang Christmas tunes for as long as they were allowed. 

Jamie passed him his binder with a smile, and Derek fell right into the run of things. His fluffy coat and long red scarf kept him warm and toasty as he sang with the tenors about what a White Christmas it would be. 

At the 3 hour mark, the group broke for lunch, swapping with some students who had a final. Derek, however, made sure he was good to stay the whole day.

As he was munching on a slice of pizza, his eyes caught sight of a black guitar case bouncing against someone's legs as they walked past. Derek's gaze traveled up, and was startled to recognize underneath the beanie covering tousled hair was one Stiles Stilinski, the son of the sheriff back home at Beacon Hills. 

Derek and Stiles were friends, to a point. Laura had babysat the two of them, Derek's little sister Cora, and Stiles' friend, Scott McCall, numerous times when their parents all gathered together for group date nights.

When Stiles' mom died, and then Agent McCall left, the affairs slowly began to include the children, and by the time they decided to ditch the idea of an adult date night, the kids were all old enough to look after themselves. 

Stiles must have been a freshman, judging by the deep bags underneath his eyes. The first round of university finals were brutal, and Derek was very glad they were behind him. 

Before Derek could even think about going over to talk to Stiles, the singers began to form back together again, and Derek hurried to finish his food and join them.

He picked up his binder and flipped to 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'. As he sang, he couldn't help but let his gaze stray towards where Stiles was sitting on a bench not far off. The man pulled an acoustic guitar out of its case and began strumming it lightly, almost teasingly.

As if he felt eyes on him, Stiles looked up and caught Derek's gaze.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, at first, but then his face brightened and he gave Derek a little wave.

When the group finished up the song, Derek gave a short wave back, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Yo Derek, you know guitarist over there?" Ken asked from behind him.

"Uh, yeah. We're from the same hometown," he stuttered out a reply, eyes going over to Stiles and then back to Ken.

"Think he knows any Christmas tunes?"

"Uh..." Derek glanced over to Stiles, who was looking back at him curiously. Derek gestured from him, and Stiles did something that looked similar to flailing, before slinging his guitar strap over his shoulder and walking over.

"Hey, Derek. Long time no see, eh?" Stiles greeted, his smile radiant as always.

Derek lost his breath for a moment. "Yeah, at least two years. Um, so we were wondering if you knew any Christmas songs and maybe you could play along with us?"

Something akin to disappointment flashed in Stiles' eyes, but it was quickly recovered by a grin. "Of course I do! What are you looking for, some 'Frosty', or maybe 'Baby It's Cold Outside'?" Stiles wiggled his eyebrows.

Jen who was behind Derek chuckled. "How about 'Chestnuts Roasting'."

Stiles nodded. "That I can do."

Stiles stood off to the side of the group, but once he began strumming with confidence, the students all turned to look.

Derek sang mechanically, gaze locked where Stiles stood to his left. Stiles' nimble skinny digits flew over the strings like they were born to be there. The simple jean jacket he was wearing must not have been enough to block out the burst of chilly wind that blew by, but Stiles paid no mind to it as he continued to play, almost as if in a trance. 

When the song came to a close, Stiles tapered off with a few finishing chords. The small crowd of students that had gathered around clapped respectively, and Stiles exaggerated a bow. Derek snorted a laugh, and Stiles' eyes went to him, and he smirked. 

Derek gestured for the group to go on without him, and he moved over to Stiles. "Since when did you play?" he asked, pointing to the instrument.

"Eh, took it up in high school. It wasted time and got me to focus on one task, so it made my dad happy," Stiles chuckled. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Still singing carols?"

Derek laughed. "I probably will be forever. It's in my blood now. But seriously, Stiles, you're really good."

Stiles flushed, and Derek didn't think it was because of the cold. "Thanks, Derek. I-"

Stiles stopped abruptly and fished around in his pocket before pulling his phone out. "Sorry, just give me a second, I have to take this."

Derek held up his hands, and Stiles sighed gratefully, pressing the accept button and bringing the phone up to his ear. 

"Hey! Not much, but dude! You'll never believe who I ran into!" Stiles winked at Derek. "Yeah, I- What? No! Come on, seriously? That sucks balls man." Stiles listened for a moment, face dropping and paling a little more by the second. "No, it's cool. I'll find something, maybe my dad- no, seriously. Go get it over with as fast as you can and come home with me, my dad, and your mom. New Years is still on, right? Good." Stiles sighed, nodding. "Yeah, sure. Love you, bro."

Stiles hung up with a heavy sigh, and Derek looked at him in concern. "What's up?"

Stiles looked up at him, slightly startled, as if he'd forgotten Derek was there. "It's- Well, you know Scott, right?"

"McCall?"

"That's the one. Well that was him. Turns out his dad is confiscating him for the first few days of Christmas break."

Derek winced. He knew how well Scott got along with his father. That is, he didn't. 

Stiles noticed his reaction and nodded. "Yeah, I feel for him. But that also means I'm out of a ride home. He was gonna pick me up on his way and we'd ride back to Beacon Hills together." Stiles kicked at a small mound of snow with his boot. "I'll have to find a bus or something, I guess."

Derek hesitated. He was driving back to Beacon Hills the next afternoon. His backseat would be stuffed with his suitcase and presents, but his passenger side was open.

"I suppose... I could give you a ride?"

Stiles looked up at him in surprise. "No, Derek. I couldn't ask that of you-"

"Seriously, Stiles, it would be my pleasure. Besides, we have a few years to catch up on."

Stiles' smile was hesitant at first, but then turned wide and bright. "Okay. Alright, sounds great. Thanks Derek, you're a lifesaver."

"What dorm are you in?"

Stiles pointed to a building across the way, and Derek saw that it was the same one he stayed in his freshman year.

"Cool. I'll meet you outside, say, one tomorrow afternoon, so we can get home by dinner?"

Stiles grinned. "Sounds fantastic."

Derek's heart flipped. "Alright. I'll see you then, I guess."

"Yeah, see ya."

Stiles waved, before smiling at the singers who had been paused for some time now, before skipping over to his guitar case and packing up.

Derek blinked and cleared his throat, shaking his head when he realized he'd been staring too long. Ken gave him a look. "What?" Derek asked.

"Nothing," came the reply matched with a sly grin.

Derek blushed and shoved at Ken's shoulder. "Shut up. Now, who's for some 'Deck The Halls'?" 


	3. Naughty or Nice

Stiles honestly would like to know how Derek ever became Santa Claus.

He knows it's a family thing, and the Hales had been Clauses for generations, now. And since Derek is the lone son of the Hale line, the responsibility fell to him, but...

He doesn't even like cookies!

Every Christmas, he comes back with his sack full of cookies and treats. He spills them out in front of the elves, turns to Stiles and says, "Merry Christmas."

That's it! How could someone be Santa and not like cookies?

Especially the bag of the chocolate-peanut butter cookies that Stiles always took each year. It was as if someone knew exactly what he liked and packed it away conveniently for him.

Stiles would be more disgusted if he didn't know Derek was actually really amazing with children.

He has an older and younger sister, and Stiles knows that he always treats them with respect. 

Any time one of the elf families gave birth, Santa paid them a visit, treated them to dinner, and brought plenty of toys for the newborn.

Plus, his tattoos are hot as fuck.

Scott had given Stiles a horrified look, his pointed ears flushing, when he admitted this to his best friend. "They say 'Naughty' and 'Nice'! What's hot about that?" Scott protested.

"It's the whole mystery element of it. We don't know if he's nice," Stiles winked, "Or naughty."

Scott faked retching.

Oh well, Stiles thinks as he looks back on the event from a few months prior. Scott just can't appreciate good looking men when he sees them. Of course, with his tongue constantly shoved down Head Elf Allison's throat, he probably didn't care to.

He is missing out.

"Stiles," comes Derek's voice from behind him, and Stiles jumps, eyes widening and cheeks flushing.

"Uh, yes Santa?" he stutters, toying with the fluff on the ends of his sleeves.

"I want you to accompany me on this year's run."

Stiles' jaw drops.

Every year, Santa is allowed to bring one other onto the sled to help him deliver presents. Derek's first year, he brought Laura to help, but every year after that, he went alone. 

Except for this year, Stiles guesses.

Derek just stares at him, arms are crossed. His short-sleeved tee doesn't hide any of the muscles he smothers underneath his bright red coat. His tattoos warp with each movement of the muscles in his arms, and Stiles blinks, multiple times. 

"Um."

Derek raises one perfect brow. "Well?"

"Yes! I mean, yeah, sure. Sounds... fun?"

Derek rolls his eyes, but nods before pushing past Stiles and moving into his workshop office. 

"Dude," Isaac hisses i amazement from behind Stiles, and Stiles turns to face him, still in shock. "Why did he pick  _you_?"

Stiles is too surprised to be offended. "I have no idea."

Cora snorts as she rides past on a newly built scooter. She skids to a stop to their left, saying, "It's totally obvious. He has the biggest hard-on for you, honey."

She kicks off the ground and is rolling away before Stiles can sputter out a response. The tips of his ears light up a bright red, and Isaac cackles at him.

"What's up?" Scott asks, noting Stiles' distress as he joins them. Isaac just laughs harder and walks away, following Cora.

Scott snaps his fingers in front of Stiles, glitter flying up into is face. Stiles jerks out of his retrieve when one of the specks flicks into his eye. He shoots Scott a glare as he rubs viciously at an eye.

Scott winces. "Sorry dude, I was in 'Pretty Princesses' today. Anyways, what's up? You look like you've been in a fight with a Yeti."

"Santa asked me to join him tomorrow night."

"But tomorrow is Chris- oh."

Stiles nods. A wide grin spreads across Scott's face. 

"Dude, that's awesome! You get to spend all Christmas Eve with Derek! Isn't that what you wanted: for him to ask you out?"

"Yeah, but not something this public and huge! This is hardly a date; the last person he invited was his sister! Besides, he hates me. I don't even know why he invited me."

Scott gives him an incredulous look. "I don't even have the energy to argue with you right now," he finally replies. "Wait until Lydia finds out. You're gonna lose half of your yearly salary on the outfit she's gonna make you wear."

Stiles pales. "Oh  _shit_."

*

Three hours later, and Stiles is moaning about his tights being too tight.

"Lydia!" he finally yells, popping his head through the dressing room curtain. "These are way too tight! I can't get them past my thighs, and even if I do, I'm pretty damn sure you can easily see the outline of my dick."

Lydia hums. "I don't think Derek will mind."

"Yes, he will," Stiles vehemently hisses. "Now, get me the next size up or I'm not wearing them."

"Ooh, an even better idea," Lydia says with a grin, but she obeys, ducking behind some clothing racks and disappearing from sight.

She returns a few minutes later with a new set of bright red tights. Stiles eyes them warily, and Lydia rolls her eyes. "Red is your color, trust me."

Stiles grumbles, but complies. He slips his head back into the dressing room, shimmies off the last pair of tights, and slips on the red ones. These ones go on with much less trouble, but they still show a bit too much of his crotch than he would like. 

"Alright, they fit. Now what?"

Lydia throws a top over the stall and Stiles barely catches it. At first glance, it seems just like his normal attire. Maybe a tad more sparkles, but Stiles can deal.

When he puts it on and looks in the mirror, however, he sees the differences.

The top hugs his arms and chest well, showing off his muscles in all the right places. There's a light trimming of white on the bottom of the sleeves that are tight around his wrists, but not too uncomfortably.

The hem has a lining of white fluff as well, dusting right below his crotch, acting almost like a tease.

Lydia was right; he looks great.

He pushes the curtain aside and does a little twirl for her. She giggles in excitement, clapping her hands happily.

"Oh, he's so gonna wanna fuck you after this."

Stiles trips getting back into the changing stall, and he can hear Lydia's snickers through the thick curtain.

*

It's five minutes before takeoff, and Stiles is freaking out.

He peaks through the curtain over to the sleigh where Derek is packing presents into the back, helping the working elves, smiling at them kindly-

"Fuck," Stiles breathes, pulling the curtain back and turning away from the adorable sight. "Red should not look that good on anyone," he cries softy.

He takes a few breaths for confidence and then strolls out from behind the curtain, plastering on a smile. "Hey! Ready to go,  _Nicholas_?"

Derek glances over, smile slightly slipping as his eyes roam over Stiles, taking in his ensemble. Stiles swallows thickly, and Derek's gaze is drawn to his throat, and then finally meets his eyes.

Derek says nothing for a moment, and the two stand staring at each other, before Derek breaks the silence and says, "You ready?"

"Never more ready in all of my life," Stiles replies, slightly breathless because  _Derek Fucking Hale-Claus totally just checked him out and liked what he saw_.

After that, it's a flurry of motion as the reindeer are attached to the sleigh. Derek helps Stiles into the sleigh and Stiles situates himself next to the man, his thigh pressing against Derek's. Derek spares him a glance, but says nothing, and Stiles smirks.

The line of elves jumping with excitement extends for miles, but Stiles can spot his friends right near the front. He waves to them, and gets sly grins in return.

"Hold on," Derek speaks suddenly, his warm breath hitting the shell of Stiles' ear. His breath hitches, and Stiles does as told, grabbing onto the handrail next to him and gripping the bottom of his seat, just in case. 

Derek rolls his eyes, but Stiles can see how tightly he grips the reigns. 

"Hurry up, big boy," Stiles whispers to him, "Lots of houses to see, only so much time."

If Stiles is correct, Santa's jolly red cheeks darken just a tad. 

Everything becomes a blur from there. Stiles isn't sure exactly when they got into the air, but he's almost 99.999% sure he screamed when they did, going by Derek's giant grin.

"Shut up," Stiles mutters, smacking Derek's shoulder. "Let's just get those kids their presents."

The first house they stop at has an actual chimney, so Stiles gets to watch Derek shimmy down that slope, and then jump in when Derek calls to him. He lands silently and steps out, wiping soot off of his nose. Derek is placing presents under the tree, so Stiles meanders over to the plate housing cookies and milk. 

Stiles reaches for a cookie, but then his hand is smacked away by a frowning Derek. "That's not for you."

Stiles throws his hands up. "Well, you don't eat them!"

Derek's brow furrows. "I know, I save them for the elves. The carrots go the the reindeer."

"Why not just eat them yourself?"

Derek shrugs. "I don't need them. You elves work harder than I do, and you deserve them. I'll take the milk, but you guys can have everything else."

While Stiles is stunned into silence, Derek downs the glass and dumps the cookies into a magical pocket in his sack.

"One house down, billions to go," Derek murmurs, heading back to the chimney. 

When Stiles doesn't move, Derek grabs his arm and tugs him along.

The rest of the evening is Derek and Stiles chatting. Stiles learns more abut Derek than he ever though was possible to know, and Derek seems pleased to hear about Stiles' father's job back in sunny Beacon Hills. He makes a pass by his dad's house for him, even, and Stiles gets a bear hug from his father.

As dawn begins to break over the horizon. Stiles and Derek enter the last house. For the majority of the houses, Stiles stayed on the sled and fed carrots to the reindeer, but he wanted to come on the last stop.

As soon as he enters the house, the smell of peanut butter reaches his nose. Stiles bolts to the cookie plate, where he sees his favorite cookies piled high next to a bowl of carrots and a large glass of milk.

"Later," Derek reminds, taking the plate of cookies and adding them into a plastic bag full of other cookies of the same make.

And that's when Stiles realizes.

"Holy shit, you're in love with me."

Derek chokes on his milk. "What?"

Stiles grins excitedly. "The cookies! You save my favorite just for me! You totally like me!"

Derek averts his eyes, placing the bag of cookies-  _Stiles' cookies_ \- into his sack with the rest of them. 

Stiles frowns. "Don't ignore me, man. That's why you asked me to come with you, right? You want to date me- Was this a  _date_?!"

A door creaks open down the hall, and Derek pales. "Quick!" he hisses, shoving Stiles back up the chimney and onto the roof.

Once they are safely back into the air once more, flying towards the North Poll, Stiles brings it up again.

"If you wanted to date me, all you had to do was ask."

Derek purses his lips, stoically saying nothing, so Stiles continues.

"I wouldn't have turned you down. In fact, I think dating is a great idea. So, yes, let's call this a date. I'm dating Santa Claus. Sweetness."

Derek sighs, head bowing in defeat. "Yes, okay? I like you, but ... I didn't know how to deal with it or show it. So Laura convinced me to ask you to come with me, and before I knew it, you had said yes..." he trails off, face reddening.

Stiles grins and reaches out a hand. He touches Derek's arm. "You're fine."

"Laura said that the pining was becoming overrated and I had to do something about it, or else."

Stiles smirks, and the view of the North Pool appears below them, and Derek descends the sleigh. "We should get back at her, then."

"How?"

"By having filthy hot sex within her hearing range." Stiles jokes.

They touch down, and Derek jerks the reigns suddenly, eyes wide. 

"I've never had anyone to share those cookies with. We could enjoy them together, in your private office, and make sex noises and disgust both of your sisters," Stiles suggests instead.

Elves swarm the sleigh, but Derek only looks at Stiles. He's smiling, that amazing grin he gives to children and things he lo-  _oh_.

"I like that idea."

Stiles returns Derek's smile with a shy one of his own. "Yeah, me too." 


	4. Candy Cane

The third Christmas party the pack had was in Derek's loft.

They started the tradition of a yearly Christmas Party hosted by one of the members the first year everyone went away to school. 

Lydia hosted it the first year. The point was basically to force everyone to be in the same place finally after weeks of separation, and enjoy each other's company.

This was the first time Derek had seen Stiles since August, and he had to blink a few times to make sure the man in front of him was indeed Stiles.

Stiles had always been attractive to Derek, in his words and actions as well as physically. But until now, Derek had never really seen the man Stiles had become while he was away.

It kinda knocked the breath from Derek's lungs.

Allison passed around candy cane martinis for everyone, and a round of excitement arose between them all. Derek was strung into a conversation with Isaac, discussing his finals and how they had gone. Derek sipped at his glass halfheartedly, eyes involuntarily straying over to where Stiles stood, talking with Scott and Danny, eyes bright and happy, drink neglected in his hand.

Then, as if he knew exactly what to do to tempt Derek even further, Stiles took the candy cane out of his drink, pressed it between his plush pink lips, hollowed his cheeks, and  _sucked_.

Derek was sure every werewolf heard the whine that escaped his throat at the sight.

Derek tried to throw himself back into the conversation with Isaac who was giving him a sly grin. Then Stiles moaned around the candy, nodding in understanding to something Danny had said.

"Excuse me," Derek said abruptly to Isaac, cutting him off, before hightailing it out of his own living room to go sulk upstairs.

He gained knowing stares as he went, but not once did Stiles' eyes stray to him, which made Derek's stomach turn uneasily.

Derek abandoned his glass on the hall table as he passed it and moved into the bathroom. He splashed some cold water onto his face, to shake himself out of this funk.

He gripped the sink tightly and stared at his reflection in the mirror. "You can do this," he told himself.

"Do what?"

Derek jumped, for the first time in a long time, caught off guard.

And the first time ever by Stiles.

"Never mind. Forget about it."

Stiles gave him a curious smile with a head tilt, but he said nothing about the obvious lie. "Everyone told me I should come talk to you. Something up?"

Derek glared in the direction of the stairs. Traitors.

Stiles laughed and placed a gentle hand on Derek's arm. "Hey, lighten up. Le's sit and chat for a bit, eh? I feel like I hardly get to talk to you now a days."

Derek obliged Stiles, who still had his martini in the other hand. The half-eaten candy cane was sticking out of the top, and Derek did his best not to stare at it too much. 

They took a seat on the spare bed, and Stiles knocked his knee against Derek's thigh. "So, what's new? Obviously not the place. You haven't even painted yet, it still looks terrifying," Stiles joked.

Derek chuckled softly. "I didn't know how long I would be here. And now that I've been here for a while, I like the place as it, funnily enough. I did put in a TV, though, because  _someone_ ," he nudged Stiles' shoulder, "complained too much about not having one."

"You put one in for me?" Stiles fluttered his eyelashes. "I'm touched." 

They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Stiles looked up from his glass and smiled at Derek. "I'm planning on coming back here after I graduate."

Derek raised a brow. "This is the first I've heard of this. When did you decide?"

Stiles shrugged. "About fifteen minutes ago."

Derek gave Stiles a confused look, so he continued, saying, "I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but coming here and seeing everyone again, I realized that I like Beacon Hills. Even though there's a lot of bad shit that goes on down here, I miss it. It's home and always will be. And..." Stiles hesitated.

"What?" Derek urged.

Stiles looked up at Derek through his lashes. "It's nice to know there will be someone waiting for me when I get back."

Derek's breath hitched. "Your dad really misses you."

"Not who I was thinking about," Stiles replied, voice soft. His eyes were on Derek's lips before they flicked up to meet Derek's. 

"Oh," Derek spoke, voice weak.

"Is that... okay?"

Derek took in Stiles' hesitant face and his posture that screamed resigned. Derek relaxed, giving Stiles an adoring smile that was easily returned.

"Yeah. That sounds... perfect."


	5. Sweaters and Scarves

Being a photographer was all Derek ever wanted to be.

Growing up in the woods, he always found picture worthy moments. His favorite Christmas gift has forever been his first camera given to him by "Santa" when he was seven years old.

Derek still has that old broken piece of plastic sitting on his bedside table. It brings back good memories.

Even now, as he continues to pick up jobs he doesn't really want (He loves nature, always wanted to travel and capture the beauty of the world), he continues to find the beauty in every job he takes.

Three weeks before Christmas, he takes one last job before the holidays. It's a Sweater and Scarves shoot for some magazine with a French sounding name that he always forgot.

The last model was a woman with a beautiful bright red scarf that Derek is so happy about the lighting with. Even though the background is another shade of red, he made it work with contrasting and shadowing.

Derek is still grinning down at his camera from where he is perched on a stool, flipping through photos taken earlier that day, when another man walks onto the set and says, "Where would you like me?"

Derek lifts his head and opens his mouth to reply with, "In my bed," because- fuck, this man has amazing eyes.

Derek can already imagine the high-res photos already. They would capture every mole, every smile line on this man's face, and every sparkle in his eye.

Derek finally says, "Just stand however, these are casual shots. Just make sure you're facing the camera."

The man nods and adjusts his sweater-jacket-hybrid-thing. Derek wonders what kind of muscles he might be hiding underneath it.

The man is a born model, easy to work with and takes Derek's directions without a blink. He smiles, and it's not forced, and Derek could just kiss him. He looks down at his latest picture, and the man's eyes are a beautiful gold that makes his heart stutter.

"Alright, thank you," Derek finally says, slightly horse. He tries not to stare too long before averting his eyes back to the camera.

The man gives him a grin and a mock salute, before moving off of the set and striping off the jacket as soon as he is out from underneath the warm lights.

Derek has to physically tear his eyes away.

"Like what you see?" Allison teases as she comes up to his right.

Derek's face flames. "Shut up."

Allison clucks her tongue. "You know, he's single."

He blinks. "How do you know that?"

"His best friend is my fiance," she teases, giving him a wink.

Derek's eyes widen. "How have I never met him before? I'e been out with you, Scott, and his friends."

"He travels a lot. His dad is the sheriff back at home."

"Wait." Derek blanches. "Sheriff Stilinski? That's- Stiles?"

Allison nods, smothering a smile. "I take it you have met him."

"Yeah, like ten years ago when he was- when we were kids. He's... grown up."

"In all the right places," Allison adds, nudging Derek's shoulder. "Go talk to him."

Derek hesitates before saying, "Okay."

He pushes off of his stool, fixes the fedora resting on his head, and awkwardly shoves a hand in his pocket. The other reaches out to tap Stiles on the shoulder. "Um, hey."

Stiles turns around, confused for a second, but then grins. "Hey! Fancy seeing you here, huh? Funny how small the world is."

"You remember me?"

"Well, don't act so surprised," Stiles teases. "I have a knack for faces. Plus, yours is too nice to forget."

Derek pretends the comment doesn't make him flush.

Stiles opens his mouth, then closes it. He seems to decide something, opens his mouth again and says, "A few of the models and I were gonna go get some drinks after the shoot. Do you... want to come?"

Derek can feel a smile tugging at his lips. "I'd like that. We can catch up."

Stiles matches his smile. "Awesome."


	6. Ice Skating

Derek's wasn't sure if he actually remembered this memory, or if he'd been told it too many times, but he could paint a vivid picture in his mind of the first time he saw ice skating.

It was the winter Olympics, and his parents had sat him in front of the TV so they could get some work done. When they looked over, they saw their three year-old son son twirling in place as the graceful skater spun on the ice on screen. 

And that was where it began.

Now, he won one gold and three silver medals from past Winter Olympics themselves.

Derek planned to go for another gold this time around. 

He spotted his costume hanging in a protective clothes bag in his closet, and he smiled over at it as he finished wrapping presents on his bed. 

His coaches had had him in practices every day for hours and hours on end as the Olympics drew closer, but now it was Christmas, and he was grateful for the break.

"Derek!" His mom shouted up the stairs. "The Stilinskis are here!"

Derek brightened, grabbed the two gifts from his bed, and made his way downstairs.

Derek dropped the presents off in front of the tree in the living room, before rounding back into the kitchen where he could hear the quiet murmuring of words as he approached.

Derek was very glad that no one could hear how his heart was jack rabbiting in his chest.

When Derek entered the kitchen, he was met with his mother who pushed a mug of hot chocolate into his hands and smiled. 

"Derek!"

Stiles' excited voice had Derek snapping his head over to where he sat at the table, beaming at the older man. He was halfway out of his seat already, so Derek set his mug on the counter and met him on the way, collecting him in a hug. 

"Merry Christmas," Derek muttered against Stiles' neck, and Stiles pulled back enough to beam at him, before pulling Derek into another hug.

"God, it feels like ages since we've seen each other."

"And whose fault is that, Mr. Doctorates Degree?"

Stiles flushed. "Hey. We can't all be Olympic gold medal winning champions."

Derek chuckled before backing out of the hug and reaching a hand over to John, Stiles' father, for a shake, which the man readily took.

"Looking good, sir," Derek compliment, and the sheriff snorted. 

"My son doesn't seem to think so."

"It never hurts to always have a nice set of abs, Dad," Stiles chastised teasingly as he took his seat again and sipped at his own mug. 

"But... doughnuts..?" Mr. Stilinski whined teasingly, and his son shot him a glare over the top of his mug. 

Derek's mother chuckled, and everyone's attention snapped to her. "I think we should move to presents now, shouldn't we?"

"Where's Laura and Cora?" Stiles asked as he flanked Derek's side as the moved into the living room. 

"They're up in New York with dad until tomorrow."

Stiles hummed in understanding as they reached the living room. Derek pulled him down to sit next to them on the couch. 

"So, gifts?" Talia Hale asked, and John shrugged. 

"Sure. We'll go first."

Derek wouldn't be giving his present to his mother until the next day, on actual Christmas, when the whole family would be back home to celebrate together, so he leaned back as John produced two boxes from behind the couch somewhere.

Derek's mother cooed as she was handed her box, and she opened it up to find a nice white cashmere sweater, one Derek knew she'd been eyeing in stores. She thanked the father and son, and then looked to Derek who opened his package as well. 

Inside was a framed picture of Derek grinning, holding up his gold medal. Around the frame were little ice skates, and Derek laughed, smiling down at it. He grinned at John. "Thank you, I love this."

"My gift to you sorta goes with that one," Stiles said, reaching to pass over his own gift for Derek. "Sorry Mrs. Hale, I'm sharing my dad's gift to you this year."

"That's fine, dear," she waved it off. "And please, you've known me since you were a child, call me Talia."

Derek tore away the wrapping paper slowly, just to tease Stiles. When he finally got to the gift, he found a personalized photo album. Embroidered into the front was the six rings of the Olympic Games, and underneath was a photo of Derek, young, holding his very first ice skating medal.

Derek flipped through the pages, a grin growing wider on his face. As he got to the halfway point of the book, he noticed the pages were blank.

"Now you have plenty of space to make new memories," Stiles said softly, and Derek turned his grin on the younger man. 

Derek wrapped Stiles into a hug and murmured, "Thank you," into his ear. Derek didn't even have to see the smile to know Stiles was beaming as he hugged him back.

Stiles pushed him away after a moment and clapped his hands. "Okay, my present next!"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Adults first."

"I'm 27 years old!"

"Oh, my bad. Mentally aged adults first."

Stiles stuck his tongue out at Derek, and Derek shrugged before Standing and moving to the tree to retrieve the two gifts. He passed the large envelope to John as he passed and settled the box in his lap. 

"John, I admit, this gift is not just for you. But I think you and Stiles will both enjoy it."  _And me too_ , Derek thought. 

John's eyes widened as he pulled out two rectangular strips of paper. "Derek... did you get us tickets to the Olympics?"

Derek smiled shyly. "I need my cheer team to be there with me."

John stood and grabbed Derek in a hug. "Thank you," he said when he pulled back. 

"It'll be a nice opportunity for you and Stiles to hang out together."

"Hell yeah it will!" Stiles shouted. "Now, gimme!" He reached his greedy hands towards his box, which Derek held away from him. Stiles pouted.

"I don't know, Stiles. Maybe I'll just keep this one, I do quite like it."

Stiles huffed and took his arms back, sitting back down like a petulant child. Derek chuckled before passing the gift over to him.

Derek was far too enthralled by the way Stiles shook with excitement.

Stiles pealed back the wrapping paper to reveal a clothes box, which he ripped at the tape on and pulled open. He glared at the offending tissue paper before pulling that out of the way as well. Stiles' breath hitched. 

Slowly, fingers shaking, he pulled the jacket from the box. "Your USA 2010 Olympics jacket?" he asked, voice trembling. 

"Yeah," Derek replied, just as soft. "You talked about how much you liked it, so I thought..."

Derek trailed off as Stiles folded the jacket back into the box and set the box at his feet.

His brows furrowed in confusion, but they relaxed when Stiles jumped him in a hug that quickly turned into a kiss.

When Derek pulled back, slightly dazed, Stiles was beaming at him. 

"My boyfriend is such a sentimental dork."

"Oh, so we're boyfriends now?" Derek teased, and Stiles just kissed him in rebuttal.

"You bet," Stiles spoke into Derek's mouth.

"I think I can live with that," Derek breathed, and he could feel Stiles smile against his lips. 


	7. Shiver

Stiles was curled up against the arm of Derek's couch, nose buried in a book, when Derek came back to his loft after making a grocery run.

"Stiles," Derek greeted as he moved to drop the bags of food in the kitchen.

He received a grunt in reply and the sound of pages turning.

He tried again. "Stiles, could you come help me unpack these groceries?"

Again, he received a murmur with no real words. Derek sighed. 

"My dick is hard and I have no one to suck it. Mind helping me out, Stiles?"

"TMI dude," Isaac spoke up as he walked into the kitchen and grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter. Derek scowled at him, and Isaac just held his hands up in a surrender, grinning slyly.

Stiles stumbled into the kitchen, still holding that damn book.

"Is a book really that good that you would give up a chance of blow jobs?" Derek wondered, and Stiles nodded, dog-earing the page and grinning up at Derek.

"It is! It's called Shiver, and it's about werewolves!"

"Stiles, we are the living breathing things. Why read about us?" Isaac asked from his perch on the counter. 

"I bought this trilogy when Scott first got bit, to see if there would be any useful information in them. I just found them again this morning. The facts are crap, but the story line is intriguing!"

"Enough to deny your poor boyfriend some alone time?" Derek said with a pout.

Isaac fake-retched. "Ugh, you two are disgusting. I'm out. I'll be at Scott's."

"Make sure he does his biology!" Stiles shouted after him, and Isaac waved his hand in a non-committal gesture. 

As soon as Derek turned around from finishing putting away food in the fridge, Stiles was back reading the book. Derek sighed, shaking his head.

He came around the counter and plucked the book from Stiles' fingers, making sure to save the page with a finger. 

Stiles gasped and sputtered after him as Derek moved to the couch and took a seat. He laid his legs over the rest of the couch, but patted his chest, giving Stiles a meaningful look.

Stiles rolled his eyes, but smiled. He snuggled up to Derek, and Derek wrapped a protective arm around Stiles' waist to keep him from falling off of the couch. Stiles took his book back from Derek and began reading it again, this time with Derek reading over his shoulder. 

"Who is this 'Grace' girl?"

"I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read it for yourself."

"Then go back to the beginning so I can find out."

Stiles sighed like it pained him, and flipped the book back to the first page. "Dork," he muttered, but settled more solidly against Derek's chest. 

"Yeah, but you love me for it," Derek responded, kissing the words into Stiles' neck.

Stiles hummed, and Derek could feel his smile even though he couldn't see it. "Yeah, I do."

Derek settled his head in the crook of Stiles' neck and began reading, and the sense of contentment in the air was only emphasized by the light rain of snowfall out the window. 


	8. Snowball Fight

"You're the one who wanted to have a snowball fight," Derek said to Stiles as he smirked.

Stiles stood from the snowy ground and glared at the werewolf, brushing snow off of his clothes and shivering at the sensation of snow melting and dripping down his back. 

"Well, yeah! That was before you shoved snow down my shirt!" Stiles spat back angrily. 

Derek rolled his eyes. "Don't be a sore loser, Stiles."

Stiles flailed his arms. "There are no losers! We hit each other with snowballs and laugh, not freeze your opponents from the inside out!"

Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. We're breaking guys!" Derek called to the rest of the pack.

As Derek pushed Stiles towards the house, Stiles stumbled along, saying, "What- What are you doing?"

"Winning," Derek grumbled as they entered the house. He kicked off his boots and shed his jacket and then got to unwinding the scarf round Stiles' neck, before he was pushed away.

"What?" Stiles asked, still confused.

Derek motioned for Stiles to take off his coat and stalked away to the living room.

Stiles grumbled, but did as demanded and shed his snow clothes, laying them over the radiator to dry. He followed Derek, his sock clad feet squeaking against the floor as he went. 

He found Derek arranging multiple blankets on the sofa, before brushing past Stiles and moving into the kitchen.

Stiles felt his face flush as he gazed at the kind gesture.

Derek came back in a moment later with a mug steaming with the smell of chocolate. In his other hand was a giant bag of marshmallows.

"You are a  _god_ ," Stiles moaned, reaching for the items. Derek pulled them out of his reach, however, and Stiles whined, giving Derek wide sad eyes. 

Derek huffed, "Take your shirt off," as he set the items in his hands down on the coffee table.

"What?" Stiles asked, eyes wide.

"Do you need help?" Derek asked, unimpressed.

Stiles blushed and scrambled to toss his shirt off, which landed somewhere near the radiator.

"Just... why?"

"You said you were cold. The shirt was wet, ergo, take the shirt off."

Stiles rolled his eyes as he self-consciously crossed his arms across his chest. "Alright, fine, I get it."

Derek raised a brow, but said nothing as he motioned for Stiles to take a seat on the couch. Then, without warning, he stripped his own shirt off as well.

Stiles stared at his physique, muscles flexing as Derek threw the shirt over to where Stiles' clothes were piling. 

Derek took a seat right next to Stiles and gathered the blankets around them, wrapping them securely around both of their shoulders. Stiles was pressed against Derek snugly, and the heat from the werewolf's body warmed him up instantly.

Derek's warm comfort receded, however, when he leaned forward to snatch the mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows. "How many do you like?" Derek asked, shaking the bag. 

"Uh, just two."

"Pity, I like three," Derek responded as he plopped three in, and gave Stiles a shit eating grin.

Stiles pouted, but leaned back against Derek anyways. "You better share some of that with me."

Derek took a sip, eyes fluttering closed as he moaned at the taste. Stiles tried not to drool. 

Derek willingly passed the mug over to Stiles, however, who took it greedily with a grin. "Thank you!"

Derek's responding smile was fond and sweet, and it made Stiles' stomach flutter. "So, do I win?"

Stiles chuckled softly. "Yeah, you win." 


	9. Mistletoe

The orgasmic bliss floats away, but Derek and Stiles continue to lie there, content in each other's arms.

Derek is running his nose up and down Stiles' jaw, and his lips catch on the skin of his throat. Stiles represses the urge to shudder and says instead, "I'm going to have to go soon, class starts in a half hour."

Derek hums, but doesn't make any movement to indicate he understood Stiles' words. 

"Maybe you should shower," Stiles hints, running a hand over Derek's abs where come was beginning to flake off.

Derek groans, but does as suggested and rolls off of the bed. "I'll only be a few minutes, don't leave before I'm out."

"Okay," Stiles responds, already looking around the room for his clothes. He gives up and roots around in Derek's drawer for a pair of sweats and a tee that he can wear for now until he gets back to his dorm and can change and shower. 

He tucks himself into the sweats, and his mind goes back to just a few minutes earlier, when Derek had given him the best morning blowjob ever. Stiles smiles goofy just at the thought. 

Stiles slips on his shoes and then picks up the jacket of Derek's that fits Stiles better than it ever has Derek. 

Stiles hears the shower shut off, so he busies himself with stripping the bed and tossing the sheets into a corner. 

Derek exits the bathroom completely naked, drying his hair with a towel. Stiles whines, "You make me want to skip class today."

Derek rolls his eyes as he follows Stiles out of the bedroom. "You say that everyday."

"That's because you're gorgeous everyday. Now- stop! That about does it."

Derek halts in the doorway and raises a brow at Stiles. "What?"

Stiles just grins and points up. "Mistletoe."

Derek huffs. "I took that down, you know how the real stuff makes me nervous."

Stiles gives him a fond smile. "I know, that's why this stuff is plastic!"

"Then the rules don't apply."

"You don't want to kiss me?" And there go the puppy eyes and pouty lips.

Derek struggles internally before sighing heavily. "If the girls ever hear about this-"

Stiles nods in understanding, but steps up into Derek's space before he can continue, taking the towel from his lax fingers and tossing it somewhere else. 

Stiles' hands fall to Derek's hips as he leans in. Their lips brush, but Stiles is a tease and doesn't move forward that last inch. "What? No goodbye kiss?" he breathes between them.

Derek's hand reaches up to cup Stiles' cheek as Stiles' hand trails up Derek's chest teasingly. 

"I love you," Derek speaks, and captures Stiles' lips softly and passionately. 

"I love you two, you big lug," Stiles murmurs against Derek's lips, before winding his arms around Derek's neck and reeling Derek back in. 

Stiles misses his first class, but neither of them seem to mind. 


	10. Snow Day

The first thing Derek saw when he awoke was a bright white light.

After a moment of confusion, he realized that he hadn't closed the drapes to the large window in his room the night previous, and the light was filtering in from there. 

It was reflecting off of all the snow on the ground and the trees.

Derek groaned, still half-asleep as he rolled over and reached for his phone on the bedside table. He unlocked it so he could see the time.

11:27.

Derek rubbed a hand over his eyes, and after blinking himself awake, realized he also had two missed texts and one call, all from Stiles. 

_FROM: STILES STILINSKI_   
_NO SCHOOL TODAY !!!!_

_FROM: STILES STILINSKI_   
_I'm coming over and you are going to roll around in the snow with me like good boyfriends do_

Derek rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly at the screen. He stepped out of bed and got showered, getting ready for the day.

As he toweled off, he focused on the sounds from outside, and he heard the muffled sound of snow crunching through the whistling of the wind.

Derek peeked out the window again and couldn't help but grin.

Stiles was decked out in winter clothes. He had his jeep pulled right up to the edge of the woods, and beside it he was building a snowman.

Derek quickly got changed and went outside to meet his idiotic boyfriend.

"You're parked in a no-parking zone! I'm going to have to tow your vehicle!" Derek shouted. Stiles whipped his head around and grinned, smile breaking his face.

He dropped the snow from his hands and made a running leap for Derek. Derek caught him with a laugh. "I'll tow  _you_ ," Stiles mumbled against his shoulder as he hugged Derek tight, and Derek snorted.

"Sure, okay."

Stiles pulled back to give Derek a quick peck on the lips. "I thought that since we haven't seen each other for ten days, I'd spend my day off school with you!"

"I saw you at dinner with your dad four days ago, Stiles. And we text all the time."

Stiles sighed. "Yeah, but we didn't get any  _alone time_  together."

Derek couldn't help the blush that seeped into his cheeks. "Point. Does your dad know you're here?"

Stiles stared at him silently, and Derek groaned, tipping his head back. "Stiles, your father already doesn't like you dating an older man, don't tempt him even further."

Stiles broke into a fit of giggles. "He knows, he knows. He was the one who suggested it, actually. Said it was a reward for a good dinner the other night."

Derek sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that. I'd like to not get shot at."

Stiles swatted his arm. "Please, my dad wouldn't shoot you."

"Let's not try and put that to the test."

Stiles pouted. "Fine. Then you have to help me finish the snowman."

Stiles dragged Derek over to his snow art and grinned as if it were his greatest masterpiece. 

"It looks done," Derek said, and winced as soon as he realized he had spoken before thinking again.

Stiles just laughed, however. "Almost. He needs a hat and scarf. And I happen to know a certain someone with a few to spare..?" He poked Derek on the nose.

Derek swatted his hand away, but followed Stiles back into the house obligingly.

Under false pretense, apparently, because as soon as the door was shut, Stiles was pushing Derek against it and attacking his mouth.

"I missed you," Stiles mumbled between kisses, tearing at Derek's jacket as Derek tore at his.

Derek felt like such a teenager when he responded, "Me too, babe."

They made out for a while, slowly stripping off winter gear as they went.

Eventually they ended up on Derek's couch, snuggling up under a blanket near a roaring fire that Derek hardly flinched at when turned on. 

"I can't wait for Christmas break. I'll have more time to spend with you," Stiles said softly, looking at Derek with his kind eyes.

Derek felt his heart flutter. How did he ever get to lucky?

He kissed Stiles' cheek and nodded. "I even have your present picked out."

Stiles grinned at that. But then he seemed to think of something, and his smile faltered.

Derek furrowed his brow. "What is it?"

"I was just... willyouhaveChristmasdinnerwithmydadandme?"

Derek blinked. It took him a moment to get through the jumble of words, but eventually he grinned widely and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that- no, I'd love to, Stiles."

Derek kissed away the relieved look on Stiles' face.


	11. Secret Santa

Stiles was 98% sure that Lydia rigged the Secret Santa this year.

The other 2% went to Scott for effort because he found out about Stiles' ("it is not a crush, Scott") fascination with Derek first.

Either way, Stiles got Derek.

Stiles grinned devilishly down at the slip of paper he pulled out. Isaac inched away from him slightly.

The next day he spent perusing the internet for the perfect gift. He was interrupted, however, by a barrage of texts from Lydia.

_FROM: LYDIA MARTIN_   
_I GOT INTO MIT_

_FROM: LYDIA MARTIN_   
_STILES_

_FROM: LYDIA MARTIN_   
_I NEVER TYPE IN CAPS STILES ANSWER ME_

Stiles flailed, a grin splitting across his face. He pressed down on her contact and called her.

As soon as she picked up, he said, "Lydia, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you!"

"I'm gonna be so far away from you all, though. You going to Berkeley and all."

Stiles 'tsked'. "Please, Lydia. We'll see each other during breaks. And we can have skype dates. We'll work things out with the pack... Oh, I'm so excited for you! Have you told everyone else yet?"

"Yeah, I sent them a text after I sent you one."

Stiles grinned. "I'm so happy for you, Lyds. I'll see you later, and we can celebrate, alright?"

The ended the call with that, and suddenly, Stiles was hit with a burst of inspiration.

Because some people were going away for Christmas, the pack had decided to have their holiday/gift giving party the Friday they got out of school.

Everyone gathered at Lydia's house for the evening. Isaac, surprisingly, had wonderful culinary skills and had made a full Christmas dinner for everyone.

Predictably, Stiles was the last to show up.

Ironically, Lydia opened the door to the same sight she had been granted during her birthday party sophomore year.

Stiles was holding a giant box, again, and grinning up at her.

"Deja vu, huh? Except this isn't for you. Well- it sorta is- never mind, just help me in, please?"

Lydia sighed, but smiled fondly at Stiles, and helped him push the box through the doorway.

Derek heard the commotion and entered the entryway to see what the fuss was about. When he saw the mess of limbs Stiles was on the floor, a giant wrapped present on top of him, he just rolled his eyes and turned away.

Stiles groaned and slammed his head into the floor. Lydia just laughed at his misfortune.

"Way to make a bigger ass of yourself, Stiles," he muttered to himself as he stood and dragged the box into the living room.

No one was even surprised at the spectacle he made, but Isaac came in, smiling widely, proclaiming that dinner was ready, so any or all comments were forgotten.

The meal was delicious, but Stiles could hardly concentrate, anxious to give his gift to Derek.

What of he didn't like it? What if he thought it was a stupid idea?

Stiles froze in his seat.

What if he thought Stiles was being offensive?

Stiles was about thirty seconds from sending the gift back. But then suddenly, dinner was finished, and the pack was moving into the main room to exchange gifts.

Derek shot him a worried look, but Stiles just smiled over at him to console him. His erratic heart beat hardly faltered, however.

"Stiles, how about you and your monstrosity go first?" Allison suggested with a chuckle.

Stiles hesitated, but nodded before pushing his present in Derek's vicinity. Derek raised a brow, but his lip quirked in amusement.

"So, I got Derek. Obviously. Go on." He made a motion with his fingers towards Derek.

Derek tore at the wrapping paper, but delicately set the bow aside. As he reached the box underneath and opened it up, Stiles began to defend himself.

"I know it's probably a stupid idea, but after getting Lydia's text about her getting into MIT, I was thinking about how all of us are going to colleges all over the place, so I found sweatshirts from all of the schools, and I figured we- as-as a pack- could wear them and then give them to you before we leave so you still have our... scents, and stuff..." he trailed off, not wanting to look Derek directly in the eye.

"Thank you."

Stiles' gaze snapped up to Derek at those soft words. "Really?"

Derek smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, it was a really nice idea. Thank you."

The smile combined with the compliment and the way Derek was fingering his Berkeley sweater made one small word come to mind, and things just clicked solidly into place.

_Oh._


	12. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Suicide Attempt

There is a reason Stiles never lets anyone see him without his shirt on.

He's not ashamed of them. In fact, he thinks they look pretty damn awesome. But at the time that they appeared on his skin, he was far too young to be tattooed.

So Stiles grew up swimming with a water shirt and always wearing layers, at least enough to cover up everything, and nothing see-through.

It was him and his mom's secret: the matching wing tattoos that stretched across their backs. 

Stiles can remember his mother used to flaunt them. She wore shirts with no back or thin strapped so that they never had to be hidden. She told him one night after his tattoo finally began to show that she never wanted to feel restrained.

Now his mother is dead, and Stiles is officially the angel of the Stilinski-Rudzik family line.

According to legend, every angel, when they reach adulthood, will have to use their Grace to save someone else.

Stiles thinks it's bullshit. His mother always said her Grace was used to save his father, and then the two would share a fond look and Stiles would pretend to vomit.

Oh how Stiles misses her.

*

Stiles' opportunity arose when he least expected it.

At age 14, Stiles had been without his mother for almost 5 years. In that time, he learned to become the man of the house while his father was off working an increasing number of hours. 

After a few years had gone by, the Stilinski men had worked things out and were evenly distributing the jobs of the household between them. 

Which is how Stiles was stuck with grocery shopping.

His father left him money and a note, telling him to be careful while he walked. That he was sorry, but the arson case he was working on was a big one and he wouldn't be home until late.

When Stiles was sent to shop, he always went to the small convenience store that was less than a ten minute walk from his house. As Stiles crossed the bridge over into the store's parking lot, he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. Curiosity got the best of him, and he looked over.

Just in time to see someone fall off the bridge.

Stiles panicked.  

Ignoring all protocol, Stiles stripped off his jacket and shirt. He felt the tattoos on his back warm with energy as his wings expanded and the black feathers spread out on either side of him. Without wasting time, Stiles jumped off his side of the bridge and flew over to the other, where he saw the person hurtling towards the pavement below.

Stiles caught the boy around his waist right before he made contact with the ground and pulled him away into the shadows under the bridge.

The boy was shaking and shoving at him as he sobbed. Stiles' eyes were wide as he recognized the kid as 16 year-old Derek Hale.

The one whose family all died in a fire the day before.

Derek pushed Stiles away and glared at him. "Why did you save me? I want to die."

Stiles shook his head. "No, you don't. You're overwhelmed with grief. Trust me, I know how it feels. It feels like it's your fault-"

"It  _is_  my fault!" Derek spat at him. 

Stiles shook his head. "It's not."

His words seemed to hold a force that made Derek look at him twice. He seemed to just then register the wings on Stiles' back, eyes widening even more.

"What are you?" His words were barely a whisper.

Stiles pursed his lips, but shook his head. "A Saving Grace." 

_"Derek! Derek where are you!?"_

The screaming came from above them, and Stiles looked up, but couldn't see anyone on the bridge. 

Derek seemed to recognize the voice, however, and he breathed, "Laura."

"Go hug her. Go cry with her. Just go with her," Stiles prodded. "And don't ever think of doing something like this to yourself ever again."

_"Derek!"_

Derek's eyes snapped up, but then back over to Stiles. He nodded minutely. "Thank you."

Stiles shook his head. "Don't thank me. Just live."

It sounded so cheesy in his head, but it was enough for Derek at least, and the boy was already sprinting up the hill towards the bridge, shouting after his sister.

When Sheriff Stilinski got home that evening, it was to an empty fridge, and a sobbing Stiles who was curled up on the couch, wrapped in his mothers afghan. 

Stiles told his father everything, and his father just held him tightly. 

*

Stiles is 21 now and returning home for Christmas break. He's so excited to see his dad for the first time since August, because he couldn't come home for Thanksgiving.

He isn't expecting to come home to see his father eating lunch with Derek Hale.

Stiles freezes in the doorway, bag half-slung off of his shoulder, eyes wide in fear.

His father, not noticing his predicament, stands quickly and gathers his son into a hug.

"Hey dad," Stiles greets, stiffly.

His father releases him and turns to Derek. "Stiles, this is Derek Hale. You remember him. He moved back into town earlier this fall and is working at the station with me."

Derek gives Stiles an easy smile, and Stiles sighs in relief at how at ease Derek is. Perhaps he doesn't recognize Stiles?

"Well, Dad, I think I'm gonna go shower, get this travel smell off me. But then I'll come down and join you guys?"

His dad nods, and Stiles escapes upstairs quickly. He shucks off his clothes as he enters the bathroom and takes the fastest shower of his life.

Only after he's done drying off and wrapping the towel around his waist does he realize he has no clean clothes.

He darts into his room and starts filing through the drawers, looking for clothes left behind that might still fit him. He opens a drawer that looks like it holds some vaguely familiar clothes, when he hears the hitch in breath from behind him.

Stiles turns to find Derek, Stiles' duffle held limply in his hand. His eyes are wide. Wide with... recognition.

"Your dad asked me to bring this to you," he says with a slight daze.

Stiles snatches the bag from his hand and quickly pulls out a shirt, feeling self conscious, and wanting to cover his tattoos as soon as possible. 

"It was you."

Stiles snaps his head up to look at Derek. "What?"

"The day after the fire. That was you who saved me, wasn't it?"

Stiles stands, speechless. 

"My Saving Grace."

"We prefer Angel, actually," Stiles blurts. 

"Right." Derek flushes. "I just... let me buy you a drink."

Stiles blinks. "Dude, you're in my house, you don't have to pay me for a glass of water."

"No, ugh," Derek pinches the bridge of his nose. "I mean a drink, dinner, something. As a thank you."

"Just to be clear," Stiles says, "You're not about to run and scream out the door proclaiming the news that I am what I am... are you?"

"No," Derek amends. "But really, let me thank you. Without you, I would have made the biggest mistake of my life."

"It was seven years ago, Derek. You don't have to repay me."

"I want to try to."

Stiles purses his lips, but a small smile twitches at the corners. "Alright."

Outside, the first flake of snow falls. 


	13. Silver and Gold

Derek puts up the tree one day after work. 

Stiles is out of town for the weekend, setting everything up at the New York office so he could have the whole holiday off from Christmas to New Years. 

He knows how much Stiles likes to decorate their apartment around the holidays. They've been roommates for three years now, he's pretty sure Stiles will appreciate it.

Derek and Stiles met each other at university, when Stiles was a freshman and Derek was a senior. Stiles' friend, Erica, started dating Derek's friend, Boyd, so naturally things fell into place, and they interacted through mutual friends until they started hanging out on their own.

Now, back home in Beacon Hills, Derek owns a mechanics shop and Stiles is a researcher for National Geographic. 

Stiles needed a place to stay when he wasn't at his "official" office in New York, and Derek had been running low on funds at the shop, having to shell out a lot of money for rent each month.

Even after Stiles moved permanently to Beacon Hills again and only went up to New York once a month or so, and Derek's shop was thriving more than ever, neither of them wanted to break away from the domesticity of it all.

Derek planned to propose to Stiles, soon.

He just had to, you know, ask him on a date first. 

*

Derek leaves his bike at the apartments and takes his Camaro to the store to pick up a giant green plastic tree and a bunch of ornaments and decorations. He finds the most flashy golden tinsel and tiny silver ornaments, and a matching star to go on top. 

The next day, after getting home from the shop, he assembles the tree and winds it with tinsel. He dons on the bright bulbs and then stands back to look at the job well done.

As if called, the front door opens, and Stiles bustles in, a bag slung over each shoulder and a suitcase in one hand, while the other is pressing a cell phone against his ear.

"No, Scott, I'm staying home this year. I told you this last month! Look, I just got home, I'm exhausted from my flight, can we fight about this later? Alright, bro, yell at you later, love you!"

Stiles hangs up with a sigh, but his smile brightens when he sees Derek standing next to the tree.

"Dude!" Stiles drops all of his bags and gathers Derek into a hug. "That is awesome! When did you do that?"

"Just finished, actually," Derek replies as he hugged him back. "Do you like it?"

Stiles stands back and gave the tree an appreciative look. "Yeah! It would look better with lights, though."

Derek goes stiff, eyes flitting over to the plastic bag on the couch that held three strings of lights. "Um."

Stiles laughs, shucking off his jacket and kicking off his shoes. "It's fine, Derek. We can take everything off of it now, and then after dinner we can decorate it together."

Derek smiles over at Stiles. "Okay."


	14. Gift Wrapping

Scott stared at Stiles in amusement. "Seriously? That's your predicament?"

Stiles gave Scott an exasperated look. "Yes, Scott. I don't want to be rude!"

"Rude," Scott responded flatly. "What's rude about getting him a gift?

"It's not the gift that I'm worried about!" Stiles huffed. "It's the wrapping paper."

"The wrapping paper," Scott intoned, quirking a brow.

Stiles groaned, flopping down onto the couch. "Yes! I don't know what kind of paper I should use!"

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to regret asking this, but what is the predicament?"

Stiles covered his face with his hands. "If I use Christmas wrapping paper, he may think that the present is only for Christmas, making him think I forgot his birthday. If I use birthday paper, it will look tacky under the tree and I don't want him to be embarrassed."

Scott blinked. "It's Derek's birthday?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "His birthday is the 25th. See! This is why! I don't want him to think I've forgotten about his birthday, but I also don't want to be the only one who remembered and make him feel awkward. See my dilemma?!"

"Um, no," Scott said, chuckling softly. "Stiles, I'm sure it doesn't matter. Why don't you use Christmas paper but make him a birthday card to go with it?"

Stiles jolted upright. "That's brilliant! Thanks Scott!"

Scott scoffed. "Thanks. Now can we go? I don't want to be late to school."

*

Apparently, Scott's suggestion was a great one, going on how, by the end of Christmas day, Derek and Stiles were making out against Stiles' jeep, Derek's birthday card forgotten as it fell by their feet into the snow.

Ah, the power of wrapping paper. 


	15. Fireplace

"We used to have a grand fireplace in my house."

Stiles looked over to Derek, surprised he had spoken.

Derek's eyes were locked on the fire burning in the living room of the Stilinski home.

"Did you?" Stiles asked softly, inching closer to Derek and brushing his arm against his. 

Derek nodded minutely. "Yeah. It was beautiful. Every winter, on the first night of snow, the whole family would gather around the fireplace, and my alp-" his voice breaks, "My  _mom_  would light it. And we'd sit there all night, cuddled together, basking in its warmth."

"That's a wonderful tradition," Stiles assures him, placing a hand over Derek's and winding their fingers together. 

Derek glanced over at him and gave Stiles a tiny smile. "Yeah. We all looked forward to it."

The pair sat in companionable silence for a little while longer. Stiles curled up against Derek's side, and Derek let go of Stiles' hand only to wrap his arm around him, and lace their fingers together with his other hand.

When John got home, he opened the door quietly, and smiled fondly at the couple when he spotted them.

"How are you boys doing?"

Stiles smiled. "We're good, Dad."

"Would you like me to make some hot chocolate? I think Charlie Brown is on tonight."

Stiles perked up, and Derek had to steady him before he fell off of the couch. "Yes! But no marshmallows in yours, mister!"

John grumbled, but nodded as he left the living room to change into more comfortable clothes. 

"You guys like to watch that movie?" Derek asked.

Stiles nodded. "My mom, she loved all of the Charlie Brown stuff. Any time it was on, she'd drag us into here and sit us down, make us watch it."

Derek pressed a kiss to Stiles' temple. "That sounds like fun."

"It was." Stiles looked up at Derek, pecked his lips, and then continued. "It's not as big of a tradition as you had in your family, but-"

"No, it's wonderful," Derek said truthfully, and Stiles blushed.

He leaned up for another kiss, but was interrupted when John cleared his throat from behind him. 

The couple turned to look at him, and he just shook his head in fond exasperation. "Try not to get too comfortable, you two. Derek does eventually have to go home, son."

Stiles nodded. "I know."

Two hours later, Derek and Stiles were fast asleep, tangled together on the couch, and John had no plans to move them. 


	16. Winter Wonderland

Stiles was having a terrible day.

Walking from the parking lot into the school started it off, because he hadn't remembered to wear his boots that day. Because of the snowfall overnight, he was now tromping in four inches of snow in converse. 

Then he left one of his textbooks for 3rd period in his car, so he had to go back out and get it, and he was late to class.

From there, everything else just went downhill.

By the end of the day, he was starving, had another trio of detentions from different teachers, and a failed test grade next to the one he had taken earlier that day that he had forgotten to study for. 

"I am having a terrible day!" he shouted as the door to Derek's loft was pulled open. 

Derek, who had opened the door, raised a brow in response.

Stiles just scoffed and shoved past him and moved over to the couch where he proceed to flop onto it like a fish, and promptly fall off, smacking his head onto the coffee table.

"How did I not see that coming?" he asked the ceiling as he blinked away the black spots from his vision.

Derek was at his side a moment later, pressing a bag of frozen corn to his head and lifting him up so he was sitting on the couch. 

"Thanks," Stiles mumbled, leaning into Derek's touch.

Derek bent down to take off Stiles' shoes, untying them and tossing them towards the front door. He then stripped off his wet socks and laid them flat on the coffee table. "I'll put those in the dryer in a minute," Derek promised, and Stiles just nodded. 

"Thank you. Honestly, today has been terrible and I just want it to end."

"Let's see if I can't make it a little bit better," Derek replied. He pressed a kiss to Stiles' temple, to which the teen preened at, before standing and taking Stiles' wet socks with him to the laundry room. 

Stiles relaxed into the couch, wincing as he applied a little more pressure against his head with the make-shift ice pack. 

Derek walked back into the room a few minutes later, a large blanket draped over his arm. 

Stiles cooed at him, and Derek scowled, but wrapped the blanket around both Stiles and him as he settled next to his boyfriend. Stiles snuggled up to Derek, and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Now tell me, why was your day terrible?" he asked.

"You're not going to laugh at me, are you?" Stiles wondered, eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

Derek snorted. "Look who's talking."

"Fair enough."

Stiles gave Derek a play-by-play of his his day went, and by the end, Stiles head pain was numbed to a dull thud, and the bag of corn was no longer frozen and sitting on the coffee table, dripping water onto the wood.

"That's gonna ruin the table," Stiles noted, pointing at it. 

Derek just shrugged. "Whatever. So today really did suck, huh?"

Stiles sighed. "Tell me about it. And, and!" Stiles paused for dramatic effect. "I got a text this morning from my dad, and he told me that the tickets for Winter Wonderland sold out in ten minutes, so now I can't go."

"Winter Wonderland?" Derek asked, confused.

Stiles leaned further into him, sighing against his shoulder. "It's this giant fair-slash-concert that lasts over a whole weekend. It's only like an hour or two away, and this year Dad said as long as I paid him back, I could go." Stiles pouted.

Derek stood from the couch and left the room. Stiles stared after him, confused. Had he said something wrong?

Derek emerged from the kitchen, however, a moment later, carrying a 7-UP for Stiles and a glass of water for him. Stiles reached out using grabby hands for the soda, and Derek chuckled, but passed it over without fuss.

"This is why I married you," Stiles said, sipping from the bendy straw Derek always added.

"You say that every time. And we're not married."

"Damn right, I need an extravagant proposal and diamond ring before I say yes to your ass," Stiles joked, grinning wide at Derek.

Derek rolled his eyes, but produced a piece of paper from his back pocket. "Well, it's no diamond ring, but it's something."

Stiles furrowed his brow and took the paper, unfolding it to read what had been printed on it.

Stiles' eyes widened, and he screamed, "You got tickets to Winter Wonderland?! How?!"

Derek laughed, plucking the drink from Stiles' hand before he spilled it everywhere. "Your dad mentioned to me that you wanted to go. "I figured we could go together, sort of as an early birthday trip for me."

Stiles grinned widely, eyes trailing from the paper up to Derek. "This is the best present ever!" 

He jumped Derek in a hug, pressing kisses around his face, before finally capturing his lips, arms holding tight around Derek's neck.

When Derek pulled back, they were both grinning dopily. "Did I make your day better?"

"You deserve , like, seven blowjobs for this," Stiles replied, breathily, and Derek chuckled. 

"Let's start with one for now. I don't know if your mouth could handle it."

Stiles' eyes narrowed teasingly. "Oh, it's  _on_." 

*

Stiles sent his father a picture of him and Derek on the first day of Winter Wonderland festivities with the caption,  _This ferriswheel is huge! And the snowman is too! D and I having an awesome time. Thanks Dad. :D_


	17. Ribbons and Bows

Stiles made sure he got off work early so that he could make it home in time to take Clara to her school Christmas pageant.

Humming 'Silent Night' as he walked into his home, he greeted the empty air with, "I'm home!"

"Oh thank God."

Stiles was startled by the emergence of Derek from the kitchen. He looked like he'd been through hell and back, going by the defeated look on his face.

"What happened?" Stiles asked, concerned. He pecked Derek's lips quickly, before cupping his face and staring determinedly into his eyes. 

Derek's eyes went wide. "I can't put her hair up."

Stiles dropped his arms and sighed in relief. "I thought it was something serious!" he said on a chuckle.

Derek stared at him as if he were insane. "It is! If our girl show up to that show with mediocre bows in her hair, Jenny Charles' mother is going to give me this look, and then Clara will be humiliated in front of her whole class!"

"It's  _kindergarten_ ," Stiles stressed. "God, that little girl has you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?"

Derek nodded numbly.

Stiles shook his head. "Let me get this one, babe." Derek opened his mouth, but Stiles cut him off with a sharp, "Just because you cannot put your daughter's hair up perfectly does not make you a failure as a father, okay?"

Derek smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Stiles patted his cheek and brushed past him into the kitchen. Clara was sitting quietly, kicking her feet back and forth, as she waited. Her eyes brightened as Stiles walked in, and she reached up her arms toward him, squealing, "Papa!"

Stiles gathered her into a hug before sitting her back down. "Now, sweetie, Papa's gonna fix your hair, alright." He leaned closer to her and whispered, "And let's not let Daddy feel bad that I can make better bows than him, okay?"

Clara nodded obediently, grinning widely. Stiles scooped up the red and green ribbon from the counter top. It was slightly frayed and bunched in places Derek had obviously tried his best with, but Stiles made it work.

When he pulled back after he finished, with a satisfied 'hmm', Clara jumped off of the stool and ran to the hallway mirror to examine her hair.

"Way better than Jenny's," She decided. She turned to Stiles, then to Derek, who had appeared on her right. "Thanks Papa! Thanks Daddy!"

Derek's smile melted Stiles' heart, and he picked Clara up into his arms. Stiles passed him Clara's winter coat, which he shrugged onto her. 

"You ready to go, princess?" Derek asked her, and Clara nodded enthusiastically. 

Derek strapped her into her car seat as Stiles began to warm up the car. Derek settled into the passenger side seat when he finished, and smiled over at his husband. "Hi."

Stiles laughed. "Hello to you, too." He leaned over the center console and cupped the back of Derek's neck, pulling him into a kiss. Derek smiled against his lips and leaned closer.

"Dads!" Clara giggled from the back. "Stop kissing! I don't wanna be late!"

Stiles pulled back with a sigh. "You're right. Let's go, babes."

Stiles took Derek's hand, and he didn't let go for the entire drive to the school. 


	18. Gingerbread

"Daddy! Guess what?!" Jenny squealed as she pulled Derek further into the classroom.

Derek grinned at her. "What, munchkin?"

"We made gingerbread houses today! Mr. S said we could take them home and eat them! We can share!" She jumped in excitement, and Derek chuckled when she paused to add, "But Josh can't have any, he's stupid."

Derek 'tsk'ed at her. "Now, now, it's not nice to call your brother names."

"But he is!" she grumbled as she lead him towards a table in the back of the classroom where a row of gingerbread houses sat, each one decorated differently with pretzel windows and gumdrop roves. 

"Yours is on the left, Jenny," a voice spoke up, and Derek turned to see it was Mr. S.

Derek smiled at the man, and Stiles smiled back at him. "Hey, Derek. How was work?"

Derek shrugged. "Not bad, still working on the final manuscript, but it should be ready to publish soon."

Stiles' eyes lit up. "That's awesome!"

Jenny stole their attention when she poked her father in the arm and demanded he carry the house, "'cause I already have my backpack to carry, and that's too much."

Derek snorted, but complied, taking the tiny house form her hands and watching as she flounced over to her cubby.

Stiles leaned closer as soon as she disappeared and whispered, "I really enjoyed last night." 

Derek flushed lightly. "Me too. My sister has the kids on Friday, would you maybe like to have dinner?"

Stiles grinned widely at him. "I'd love that."

Derek's heart fluttered. 

Jenny skipped over to his side and tugged on his hand. "I'm ready to go now, Daddy. Bye Mr. S!"

"Goodbye Jenny," Stiles said sweetly. He looked up at Derek with a slightly darker look. "See you, Derek."

"Bye Stiles," Derek replied as his daughter pulled him out of the room. 


	19. Family

It hits Derek while flipping through stupid pictures of the pack that he has saved on his phone.

He has a family.

That fire killed everyone near and dear to Derek eight years prior, and he lost his family then.

He's finally found it again now.

He's found it in Isaac's trusting smile.

He's found it in Lydia's looks.

He's found it in Cora's bi-weekly phone calls.

He's found it in Allison's advice.

He's found it in Danny's smirks.

He's found it in Ethan and Aiden's loyalty.

He's found it in Scott's friendly touches.

And he's found it in Stiles' kisses.

Now, flipping through old memories while he waits for the guests to arrive, he's ready to embrace it.

When the front door opens, it's Stiles who enters, boxes piled high in his arms. Derek rushes over to help him, and they place them under the Christmas tree.

When Stiles has been thoroughly de-gifted, Derek swoops in for a kiss, holding him tightly against him, but gently caressing his face.

Stiles pulls back slowly and blinks, startled. "Where did that come from?"

"I have a family," Derek whispers.

Stiles looks confused for a second, but then a wide grin break across his face. "We have a family, yeah."

Derek thinks he likes this new life view.


	20. Christmas Tree

"That's me, Dada!" Sam squeals as he points at the ornament in his father's hand.

Stiles smiles down at his son. "That's right, Sam! How old were you when we took this picture?"

"One!" comes the excited response, and Stiles nods, grinning.

"Exactly! And how old are you now?" Stiles asks, leaning forward to place the ornament on a branch of the large Christmas tree they had set up in the living room.

Sam thinks about this for a minute before finally saying, "Four 'an three  _quaartars_."

Derek chuckles as he walks into the room, carrying the final box of ornaments. "You're right, Sam!"

"'O course 'm right!" Sam replies petulantly, crossing his arms across his chest and turning away from his papa with a pout.

Derek frowns, setting down the box and sitting on the other side of Stiles on the couch. "What's wrong, Sammy?"

"I'm mad at you," their son huffs.

Derek gives Stiles a petrified look, and Stiles scoffs at him. "Why are you mad at Papa?" he asks Sam.

"'Cause he made Mama Cora not wanna come to  _Cwithsmas_."

Derek freezes. He sometimes forgets that his son has supernatural abilities too, and can hear well enough around the whole house. He makes a mental reminder never to have a spat with family in the house.

Stiles frowns and shakes his head. "No he didn't, honey. Mama Cora can't come because-" he looks up at Derek briefly before saying, "She has too much work to do this year."

"Liar!" Sam screeches, covering his ears with both hands.

Stiles recoils like he's been slapped, and Derek wraps his arm around him to comfort him. He gives Sam a hard look. 

"Sam. Apologize to your dad."

Sam turns wet eyes on Stiles. "'m sorry!" he sobs, falling against Stiles' chest. "'m sorry I'm a bad boy and that's why Mama Cora doesn't wanna come see us!"

"Oh, no, no," Stiles hushes Sam quickly, rocking him slowly. "Baby, it's not your fault, it isn't. I'm sorry I lied to you, I just wanted it to be a surprise."

Sam sniffles. "Surprise?" 

Derek smiles against Stiles' shoulder while Stiles adjusts Sam in his lap. "The reason Mama Cora can't come visit us this year is because it's too long of a drive for her to come by herself, and she's not allowed to fly on a plane. She really wanted to come, but your papa doesn't want her to get hurt accidentally."

"Did she get 'n trouble wif the clouds?" Sam asks innocently.

Stiles shakes his head, smiling softly. "No. You're just not supposed to fly when you have a baby in your tummy."

Sam's eyes go wide. "She has a baby in her tummy? Like... like I was in her tummy when I was a baby?"

Derek nods. "That's right. Sam. You're going to be an older brother!"

Sam laughs happily and gathers his fathers into a tiny armed hug. "I'm gonna have a brother!"

"Or sister," Stiles corrects.

"This is the best Christmas gift ever! Can I- oh! Does this mean I can boss them around?!"

Derek chuckles, ruffling his son's hair. "We'll see."

Stiles turns and gives Derek an relieved smile, and Derek kisses his cheek in response. 


	21. Candlelight

Stiles carried the fake candle into the living room and placed it on the window sill.

Derek came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "That's not real candlelight, you know."

"I know, but it'll do."

Derek kissed Stiles' cheek. "Thank you."

Stiles turned himself around in Derek's arms. "Hey, anything for you, you know that."

"How about some pre-Christmas sex?" Derek propositioned, eyebrows waggling.

Stiles laughed, backing himself out of Derek's arms. "Not tonight, babe. I actually have to go eat dinner at my house or Dad will get suspicious."

"You... you should invite your dad here for dinner tonight."

Stiles froze. Turning slowly around, he gave Derek a wide-eyed look. "You're ready to tell him?"

"Stiles, we've been dating for five months now. He knows you are with someone, and I think at this point he knows who with. We might as well." Derek looked hesitant. "Then maybe we can spend new years eve together?"

Stiles pulled Derek into a kiss, twining his arms around Derek's neck.

When Derek eventually- reluctantly- broke off the kiss, they were both panting.

"You like my idea then, I suppose," Derek breathed harshly.

Stiles chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan. Now come on. I have a dad to call, and you have some mistletoe to stand under."


	22. Snowman

In the back of Stiles' closet, underneath a forgotten winter jacket three sizes too small, sat a box labeled 'Mom', because titling it 'Mom Stuff' seemed too much like writing it off as junk.

Inside of the box were a few miscellaneous items. There was a few pictures of him and his mother, some including his dad. A small bottle of his mom's favorite perfume stunk up the box, but Stiles never minded it.

In one side rested a stuffed snowman, run ragged and worn. Its red scarf had a few tears in it, and one of its beaded eyes looked close to falling off. Years of love had worn that toy, so Stiles kept it safe with all of his other mementos.

Stiles found the box when he was cleaning out his closet so he could collect all of his things and move them into Derek's house.

Derek found him twenty minutes later, clutching the fluff toy in his arms as he rocked back and forth on the floor, refusing to cry.

Derek froze for a moment, still unsure of how to react to Stiles' emotions.

Eventually, Stiles looked up at him and sniffled, and that jolted Derek into action. He sat down cross legged next to Stiles and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"Hey," Derek whispered, and Stiles snuggled closer against him. It had only been a few days since it first snowed, but the room already had a bit of a chill to it that even Derek could feel. "Who's this little guy?"

Stiles' attempt at a small smile wavered. "My mom got me this for my first Christmas. I used to take it everywhere with me when I was little. Even put him in my backpack during school. After she died... I couldn't look at it without thinking of her. So it put it away in a box and-"

Stiles choked on his words, so Derek just shushed him, rocking him in his arms.

"What do you feel when you look at it now?"

Stiles fiddled with the brim of the snowman's velvet hat. "Sad. But happy. Christmas was always the best with her. She loved snow. We would always build a snowman together every year, and dress him up differently. Once- once we stole my dad's uniform and made it a cop snowman. He was so mad, but my mom got him to calm down and soon he was laughing with us. I just-"

"You miss her, a lot," Derek finished for him, and Stiles nodded stiffly.

A few minutes of silence passed before Derek sighed and stood. He offered a hand out to Stiles and pulled him up from the floor. He brought him in for a quick kiss, and Stiles smiled against his lips.

"I love you," Stiles mumbled.

"Love you too," Derek replied. "Now, how about we go outside and make a were-snowman."

Stiles' eyes lit up. "Really?"

Derek shrugged. "Yeah. I'm sure my leather jacket could be stolen for a bit."

Stiles hugged Derek tightly. When he pulled back, he looked down at the snowman in his hand, and frowned a tad.

Derek slowly reached out for the stuffed animal and gently took it from Stiles' hand. "I think there's room on the mantel for this, don't you?"

Stiles kissed Derek again.


	23. Eggnog

**_More Whiskey Than Egg_ **

_Now originally, the English kept alcoholic eggnog for special occasions, because of how hard it was to keep cream and milk fresh. But in the 18th century, us Americans got wind of the recipe and started drinking up a storm (as we always do)! Now it's a tradition for families all over!_

_My mom created this recipe and pulled it out for when the whole family came down for Christmas. We're Polish, there's a lot of us, she needed a little liquid courage to get through the season._

_My dad passed down to me her recipe book when she died, as you regulars may know, and this was one of the baubles in there. Now, I'm not a big fan of eggnog in any form, but maybe some of you out there will enjoy this. So drink on, my fellow Stilizers!_

Derek snorted as he jotted down the recipe from the website. He wasn't sure if he was actually going to make it, but considering the fact that Laura was staying with him up until new years, and he hadn't done any shopping for her yet, told him he may need some of that 'liquid courage'. 

Derek had found Stiles Stilinski's web cookbook a few months prior. He had been freaking out because Isaac, his roommate, was making his girlfriend dinner, who also happened to be Derek's younger sister. Wanting to impress, Isaac had begged Derek for the recipe to a meal Derek had cooked for the a few weeks ago. Derek had agreed, but then remembered that he'd been given the pasta dish by their friendly old neighbor. He'd rushed over to her apartment and asked for the recipe, and she lead him to _Stilizing Food_.

Derek had found some amazing food choices on there, and Stiles had even created a tab full of healthier food to eat when on a diet, and they complied with all of Derek's rules for eating well. 

Derek was going to treat himself for Christmas and go out and buy Stiles' new and first published cookbook  _Stilizing The Holidays_. Maybe he'd have an idea or two in there as to what to cook for Christmas Day dinner.

When Derek got to the local Barnes and Noble, he could see through the glass walls that there was quite a crowd gathered near the front. He wondered if the high school's choir was caroling again this year, and they'd drummed up a crowd. 

Derek pushed through the people blocking the doors, glaring at them harshly to get them to quickly scamper away. 

He didn't have to go far to find a display set up with Stiles' new books sitting in rows. He plucked one off of the stand and smiled down at Stiles' grinning face as he held a Santa hat on his head and a frying pan in the other.

"Are you gonna get it signed?"

Derek blinked and stared down at the young girl that had materialized front of him. "Hm?"

"The book. Are you going to get it signed?"

Derek furrowed his brows in confusion. "I... don't think I can?"

"Yes you can, silly! Daddy's right over there!" She pointed towards where the large group of people piled up. Derek squinted and was barely able to make out a table at the end of the line where it seemed Stiles Stilinski was sitting and signing books.

Derek eyed the long line and felt his stomach turn. "I... don't think so, sweetie," he replied to the girl who was obviously Stiles' daughter. He had her father's everything; from the dark brown hair, to the bright honey gold eyes, to the moles scattered across her cheeks. (So maybe Derek had been curious about the young chef and looked him up, and found a gallery of photos that had Derek practically swooning. He'd never tell.) "I'm not a big fan of lines."

"That's okay!" she squeaked. "He's 'bout to go on break, and you can meet him then!"

Derek opened his mouth to protest, but the child was having none of it, and took Derek by the hand and began tugging him towards the table. As he passed, he saw a few disappointed faces from some older women who clutched Stiles' book. A man was shooing the line away saying that, "Stiles needs to break for lunch, sorry everyone!"

Stiles' daughter finally dragged Derek up to the table and presented him with a loud, "Ta-da!"

Stiles looked over at them, doe-eyed and startled. Derek's heart may have stopped for just a second.

"Sophie! There you are!" He gathered her into a hug. "You need to stop running off! Scott and I are busy, so we can't keep our eyes on you all the time. You need to stay put and listen."

"Uncle Scott told me I could go get a book to read while I waited!" Sophie protested, and Stiles shot a glare over to the man corralling away people, who winced back at him with an apologetic shrug. 

"Well, next time, listen only to your father, okay?"

Sophie sighed, dipping her head, "Okay..." She suddenly perked up and looked at Derek. "Daddy! This guy wants an autograf, but doesn't like lines, so I brought him to you all special!"

Stiles blinked at Derek, wide eyed. "Um, hi. Sorry about Sophie, she can sometimes push people into bad situations." He shot his daughter a look. "And she knows not to talk to strangers."

"But he was gonna buy your book and not ask for a signator."

Stiles chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Well in that case... Scott?" The other man looked over. "Can you grab Sophie and go get some lunch for us? I think I have something to do real quick before I catch up with you."

Scott looked to Derek and then back to Stiles with a smirk. "Sure thing, bro. Come on Soph."

As Scott lead Sophie towards the little cafe area, Stiles collapsed back down into his chair and sighed, running a hand over his face. "Sorry about that, she's a lot to handle on my own. Usually Scott can help, but..." he trailed off. "Anyways, you don't want to hear my life story."

"No."

Stiles raised a brow at Derek.

Derek fumbled. "I mean, no, I don't mind. You talking. About stuff. Uh, sorry. I'm Derek. Your site has saved me from many a TV dinner."

Derek passed his copy of Stiles' book over to him stiffly, and Stiles took it with a smile. "Well, thank you. That is what I strive to achieve." Stiles uncapped his sharpie and scribbled his signature into Derek's book. Derek relaxed minutely. 

"This may be a weird question, but do you live in the area?" he finally blurted, unable to keep the thought quiet. 

Stiles chuckled. "Recently moved back, actually. I grew up here, and now that it's just Sophie and me, I wanted to be closer to my dad."

It hit Derek then, suddenly. "Stilinski. Your dad used to be the sheriff, right?"

"You must obviously be a local," Stiles commented, smiling up at Derek as he capped the sharpie with a flourish. "Yeah, retired a few years back."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, I went the party they had for him. Oh- I'm a deputy," Derek explained. 

Stiles gave Derek an impressed look. "Wow, nice. Good for you. Must be hard on the wide and kids, though?"

Derek tried to hide his smirk at Stiles' obvious attempt. "No wife or kids, just a roommate who takes advantage of my hours to shag my sister."

Stiles winced. "Ooh, ouch. Well, Derek Hale, I'll probably see you around again soon."

Derek grinned, "Yeah, you will."

Stiles blushed slightly as he returned Derek's smile. 

Derek gave Stiles a short wave before moving over to the cash registers. Something made him freeze though, and he called back to Stiles as the other man was moving away from the table towards the cafe.

"How did you know my last name?" Derek asked, a brow quirked.

Stiles smirked. "My dad speaks highly of his best old deputies. See you, Derek."

"Bye Stiles."

Derek left the book store with a spring in his step and an unknown phone number scribbled inside of his newly purchased cookbook. 


	24. Silent Night

_"Silent night. Holy night."_

Stiles held his child in his arms and softly rocked her back and forth as he sang to her.

_"All is calm. All is bright."_

She continued to cry out into the night, pacifier bit between her teeth as she screamed.

Derek popped his head into the room, and Stiles gave him a tired smile. "Hey. I've tried everything, she won't quiet down or go to sleep."

"Take your shirt off," Derek suggested, and Stiles blinked at him.

"What? How is that supposed to help?"

Derek walked over to his husband and took their daughter from his arms. She immediately cuddled against Derek, nuzzling into his neck and sighing happily. 

Stiles pouted. "She likes you more than me."

Derek rolled his eyes. "No, she does not. You're her Papa, she loves you. Now take off your shirt."

Stiles groaned, but did as was told and stripped off the item of clothing. He shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Now what?"

"Now you let your child scent you," Derek said, passing back their daughter to Stiles. She began fussing up a storm as soon as she left Derek's arms, but was slowly mollified as Stiles held her against his chest.

Stiles looked up at Derek with amazement. "How did you-?"

"She's a baby werewolf, Stiles," Derek replied. "She needs contact from family and pack. As her biological father and fellow werewolf pack member, she can feel our bond easily, but we have to work yours into her. In no time she will be able to scent you as well as me, but while she is so young, she has o get used to you. Skin-on-skin contact is the best way."

Stiles huffed. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Derek grinned. "Thought you would want to figure it out yourself."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah. I'll put her to sleep. Why don't you make us some drinks, eh?"

Derek leaned over and pressed a kiss to Stiles' lips and the one to his daughter's forehead. "Sure."

Stiles continued to rock the sniffling baby in his arms as he paced the room. 

_"Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace."_


	25. Baby, It's Cold Outside

Christmas Day was almost over. The flames had dimmed considerably in the fireplace since it was lit a few hours prior.

Derek and Stiles were snuggled together on the Stilinski couch. Technically, even though they were together, they had their own apartments. But Stiles decided to stay with his Dad over the holiday, and Derek was never far behind where Stiles led.

Derek sighed against Stiles neck, and pressed a kiss against the skin. "I should go."

Stiles froze slightly. "But... it's cold outside."

Derek mumbled, "I know, but it's getting late, and I have to go."

"But... cold!" Stiles flailed gesturing to the still falling snow out the front window.

Derek snorted. He kissed Stiles' cheek and made a move to get up, but Stiles gripped his arm and dragged him back down. "Stiles, tonight was wonderful-"

"I know, and I'm so happy you stayed."

Derek sighed. "I promised Cora I'd call her tonight when I got home."

"What's the rush?" Stiles whined.

"You know how antsy she can get," Derek reminded him. 

"We- we can keep the fire going for a little bit longer, and you can call her from here!"

"Stiles, I really should go," Derek pushed, but Stiles was having none of it.

"Please don't," Stiles spoke, and his pout made Derek melt a little.

'Maybe I can stay for another glass," he murmured, gesturing to his empty wine glass on the coffee table. 

Stiles grinned. "Yes, awesome. Find something good on TV while I refill the glasses."

Stiles came back into the living room to see Derek watching A Christmas Story in low tones. He handed him his glass, and Derek took it with a thankful nod.

After a few minutes of content silence, Derek spoke up with, "Stiles, what will you dad think if he sees me here?"

Stiles shrugged. "The snow looks bad enough."

Derek suddenly stared down at his wine glass oddly. "Stiles, did you spike this?"

Stiles spoke over his comment, saying, "Your car might be snowed in too much to move."

Derek groaned, leaning into Stiles further. "I wish you weren't so irresistible to me."

"Your eyes look so beautiful right now," Stiles muttered, pecking Derek's lips slowly. 

"I should be telling you no," Derek warned backing slightly away from Stiles' dark eyes. 

Stiles scooted in closer. "Oh, does this make you change your mind?"

Derek swallowed thickly. "I tied?" he said weakly, and Stiles grinned wolfishly. 

"Better not to hurt my pride."

"I really can't stay," Derek tried one last time.

"Baby, don't hold out on me," Stiles breathed against his lips.

"I suppose it is cold outside," Derek murmured, and Stiles laughed.

"Besides, you need to stay so I can give you your birthday present."

Derek 'tsk'ed. "Stiles you already got me things, there's nothing else you need to give me."

Stiles swung his leg over Derek's and straddled his lap. He clinked their glasses together and winked. "Oh, I can think of a few things."


End file.
